Fort Myers Beach hearing on food-truck park rezoning draws hours of debate; council hearing set for Feb. 11

The Local Planning Agency on Jan. 9 voted to recommend expanding the boundary of an existing Commercial Planned Development (CPD) that covers parcels on Estero Boulevard, but it deferred a separate rezoning and detailed approval for a proposed food-truck park and commercial parking lot until a Feb. 11 council hearing.

The town’s principal planner, Judith Frankel, told the agency the CPD expansion (agenda item B) would add two adjacent parcels acquired by the applicant to a 2007 CPD approved by resolution 07-28. Frankel said the expansion itself raised no conflicts with the comprehensive plan but that the applicant’s proposed new schedule of uses and a master concept plan for the food-truck park would replace the older CPD document if adopted.

Applicant representatives and property owners — including Ken Galander of Neighborhood Company and owners Jamie and Debbie Hotka and Dan Myers — presented a master concept plan for a roughly 0.7-acre site at beach access 26. Their proposal calls for a minimum of five vendor pads served by a new “park support” building with restrooms, beverage service (beer and wine only), storage and staff…